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Fellow Immortal Wally Lewis said everybody had been "very happy" to welcome Meninga into the club.

"Every time he got the football, the determination that was written all over his face was something that you had to see to believe," he said.

Among those Meninga thanked at his induction speech was coaching legend Wayne Bennett.

He first met the Broncos mentor when he was training to be a police officer.

Meninga played more than 300 top-grade games. (9news)

"I was 17 years of age, he said to me, 'Mal, you can do anything you want in life, as long as you set your mind to it," Meninga said.

"And that gave me the inspiration to go to my room and write some goals around rugby.

"I wanted to play for Queensland - that was '77, and I went on to play for Queensland in 1979, so through the power of someone believing in you and the power of goal setting, it set me on my football life."

Even from a career as storied as his, Meninga was able to pick out some personal highlights, including winning the 1989 grand final with the Canberra Raiders, and the first time he wore the Maroons and Kangaroos jerseys.

Meninga captained the Canberra Raiders to a grand final win in 1989. (9news)

However, he has also been through some personal trials, including when a former friend and business partner was charged with stealing from their business six years ago.

And in 1991, his brother Bevan bashed a young woman to death and was jailed for 21 years.

"I don't condone what he's done but at the end of the day, I think everyone deserves a second chance," Meninga said.

Meninga has been an icon for the Queensland Maroons as a player and a coach. (9news)

For himself, Meninga said he owed rugby league everything.

"I don't know where I'd be without it, probably a copper somewhere in Queensland," he said.

"I'm still involved in the game today so for me to be doing what I love from when I was (a) 19-year-old or 18-year-old kid when I first ran onto this field, to coaching the Australian side against the Poms here at the World Cup Final last year, I've been blessed."